Bright outlook for solar array atop The Continuum garage

Power Production Management co-owner Jason Gonos gives guests a tour of a new solar array his company built atop The Continuum apartment's parking garage following a ribbon cutting ceremony to announce the project's completion Tuesday.

Published: Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 3:50 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 3:50 p.m.

After getting a second chance to get into Gainesville's solar feed-in tariff program, a solar array is producing enough power for about 30 homes and providing shade for cars on the top deck of the parking garage for The Continuum graduate student apartments.

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The solar system went online May 24 and has produced 103,420 kilowatt hours of power, earning nearly $30,000 from Gainesville Regional Utilities so far.

GRU pays 29 cents per kilowatt hour generated for 20 years through the solar FIT program.

The project includes more than 1,000 solar panels that cover 25,000 square feet, or about half of the top deck.

The system is owned by Ecogy Gainesville, a partnership based in Connecticut that leases the rooftop space from The Continuum, 425 W University Ave.

Power Production Management, the contractor on the project, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday under rainy skies.

The project got into the FIT program after Gainesville city commissioners opened a lottery for an additional 1 megawatt of capacity last year following complaints from people who were not selected in the first round who said projects that were successful did not meet the criteria to apply.

Jason Gonos of Power Production said another reason they pushed for the additional capacity was to take advantage of grants from the Treasury Department to fund 30 percent of the projects in lieu of solar tax credits. The grants expired last year, but the Continuum project was given an extension by purchasing some equipment last year, he said.

<p>After getting a second chance to get into Gainesville's solar feed-in tariff program, a solar array is producing enough power for about 30 homes and providing shade for cars on the top deck of the parking garage for The Continuum graduate student apartments.</p><p>The solar system went online May 24 and has produced 103,420 kilowatt hours of power, earning nearly $30,000 from Gainesville Regional Utilities so far.</p><p>GRU pays 29 cents per kilowatt hour generated for 20 years through the solar FIT program.</p><p>The project includes more than 1,000 solar panels that cover 25,000 square feet, or about half of the top deck.</p><p>The system is owned by Ecogy Gainesville, a partnership based in Connecticut that leases the rooftop space from The Continuum, 425 W University Ave.</p><p>Power Production Management, the contractor on the project, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday under rainy skies.</p><p>The project got into the FIT program after Gainesville city commissioners opened a lottery for an additional 1 megawatt of capacity last year following complaints from people who were not selected in the first round who said projects that were successful did not meet the criteria to apply.</p><p>Jason Gonos of Power Production said another reason they pushed for the additional capacity was to take advantage of grants from the Treasury Department to fund 30 percent of the projects in lieu of solar tax credits. The grants expired last year, but the Continuum project was given an extension by purchasing some equipment last year, he said.</p>